This invention relates to a computerized system for providing various kinds of information regarding the current progress in a mass production process. The information is useful for a manager in charge of management of a mass production line, when he is required to make some decision on various parameters for the purpose to maximize the efficiency of the mass production line. The information is obtained employing a computer system.
The object of management of a mass production line is to maximize the efficiency of the mass production line. xe2x80x9cA turn-around-timexe2x80x9d defined as a length of time required for completion of production of a lot of products, is one of the most important parameters to determine a magnitude of efficiency of a mass production line. In this specification, xe2x80x9ca mass production linexe2x80x9d is assumed to be a production line which is employable for producing various kinds of products, and xe2x80x9ca lotxe2x80x9d is defined as a unit for identifying a group of a single kind of product to be produced employing a mass production line. As a result, xe2x80x9ca turn-around-timexe2x80x9d means in this specification a length of time required to produce a group of a single kind of product employing a mass production line, and the length of time is identified as a length of time from the beginning of supply of the first item of the materials to be processed for production of a lot until the termination of delivery of the last item of the finished products included in the same lot.
Although a turn-around-time, a received quality of materials and a shipped quantity of finished products were major tools employable for management of a mass production line and which is available in the prior art and which is employable for management of a mass production line, other parameters including a factor showing operation of facilities, a factor showing working time of laborers, et al. are items to be influential for the efficiency of a mass production line. This is because the parameters influential for a turn-around-time are increasingly more complicated, in line with a tendency in which a production process is increasingly more complicated.
Accordingly, if a system for providing various kinds of information regarding the current progress in a mass production line, it is remarkably helpful for a manager in charge of the management of a mass production line to improve the efficiency of the mass production line and to minimize the turn-around-time thereof.
Accordingly, the sole object of this invention is to provide a system for providing various kinds of information regarding the current progress in a mass production line which is effective to assist a manager in charge of the management of a mass production line to improve the efficiency of the mass production line, when he makes some decision on various parameters regarding the following progress of the mass production line.
Each system for providing information regarding production progress of a mass production line in accordance with this invention is composed of a computerized means having a specific function which is specified for each embodiment, the computerized means being a host computer attached by a memory means, plural input means for inputting various source information and plural output means for outputting results of the computerized means. Some of the results of the computerized means are preferably shown in terms of a histogram which is conveniently displayed on a screen of display means.
In this sense, identification of each embodiment in accordance with this invention is made by the function of a computerized means included in each of the systems. Accordingly, the following description will be concentrated in the function of each embodiment.
To achieve the foregoing sole object, a system for providing information regarding production progress of a mass production line in accordance with a first embodiment of this invention comprises a plurality of first input means for respectively inputting a quantity of materials received by, a quantity of materials remained unprocessed at and a quantity of finished products shipped from a production stage of a mass production line for production of a production lot, a first computerized means for calculating relations respectively between the quantity of finished products and a sum of the received quantity of materials and the quantity of materials remained unprocessed for a production stage of a mass production line of a production lot and a plurality of first output means for outputting the relations respectively between the quantity of finished products and the sum of the received quantity of materials and the quantity of materials remained unprocessed for the production stage of a mass production line for production of the production lot.
In the foregoing first embodiment, the relations respectively between the quantity of finished products and the sum of the received quantity of materials and the quantity of materials remained unprocessed for the production stage of a mass production line for production of the production lot, can be shown in a graph and the first output means can be display means.
To achieve the foregoing sole object, a system for providing information regarding production progress of a mass production line in accordance with a second embodiment of this invention comprises a plurality of first input means for respectively inputting a quantity of materials received by, a quantity of materials remained unprocessed at and a quantity of fished products shipped from a production stage of a mass production line for production of a production lot, a plurality of second input means for respectively inputting an operation period of each of facilities provided for a production stage for a production lot, a time at which each of the facilities starts operation at each of the production stage for each production lot and a time at which each of the facilities finishes operation at each of the production stage, a second computerized means for calculating relations respectively between the quantity of finished products and a sum of the received quantity of materials and the quantity of materials remained unprocessed, relations between a length of period during which some of the facilities are remained under an idle position or a non-operating position and a sum of the received quantity of materials and the quantity of materials remained unprocessed, and relations between an average turn-around-time and a sum of the received quantity of materials and the quantity of materials remained unprocessed, for a production stage of a mass production line for production of a production lot, and a plurality of second output means for outputting the relations respectively between the quantity of finished products and the sum of the received quantity of materials and the quantity of materials remained unprocessed, and the relations between a length of period during which each of the facilities is remained under an idle position or a non-operating position and a sum of the received quantity of materials and the quantity of materials remained unprocessed, and relations between an average turn-around-time and a sum of the received quantity of materials and the quantity of materials remained unprocessed, for a production stage of a mass production line for production of a production lot.
In the foregoing second embodiment, relations respectively between the quantity of finished products and the sum of the received quantity of materials and the quantity of materials remained unprocessed, and the relations between a length of period during which each of the facilities is remained under an idle position or a non-operating position and a sum of the received quantity of materials and the quantity of materials remained unprocessed, and relations between an average turn-around-time and a sum of the received quantity of materials and the quantity of materials remained unprocessed, for a production stage of a mass production line for production of a production lot, can be shown in graphs and the second output means can be display means.
To achieve the foregoing sole object, a system for providing information regarding production progress of a mass production line in accordance with a third embodiment of this invention comprises a third computerized means for calculating a length of period during which each of the facilities is busy or in an operating position, a length of period during which no work is conducted, and a length of period during which materials or finished products are being carried from a location to another location for each of production stage of a mass production line for production of a production lot, and a third output means for outputting the length of period during which each of the facilities is busy or in an operating position, a length of period during which no work is conducted, and a length of period during which materials or finished products are being carried from a location to another location for each of production stage of a mass production line for production of a production lot, in addition to all the ingredients of the system for providing information regarding production progress of a mass production line is accordance with the second embodiment of this invention.
In the foregoing third embodiment, the length of period during which each of the facilities is busy or in an operating position, the length of period during which no work is conducted, and the length of period during which materials or finished products are being carried from a location to another location for each of production stage of a mass production line for production of a production lot, can be shown in a graph and the third output means can be display means.
To achieve the foregoing sole object, a system for providing information regarding production progress of a mass production line in accordance with a first phase of a fourth embodiment of this invention comprises a fourth computerized means having a function, in combination, for finding whether or not some materials are remained unprocessed, whenever any of the facilities suspends operation, and for determining the reason why some of the facilities are remained under an idle position or a non-operating position is a lack of laborers, if some materials are remained unprocessed and for determining the reason why some of the facilities are remained under an idle position or non-operating position is a lack of materials, if no materials are remained unprocessed, and a plurality of fourth output means for outputting results of the fourth computerized means, in addition to all the ingredients of the system for providing information regarding production progress of a mass production line of the second embodiment of this invention.
In the foregoing first phase of the fourth embodiment, the resultant information can be shown in a graph and the fourth output means can be display means.
To achieve the foregoing sole object, a system for providing information regarding production progress of a mass production line in accordance with a second phase of a fourth embodiment of this invention comprises a fourth computerized means having a function, in combination, for finding whether or not some quantity of materials are remained unprocessed, whenever any of the facilities suspends operation, and for determining the reason why some quantity of the facilities are remained under an idle position or a non-operating position is a lack of laborers, if some quantity of materials are remained unprocessed and for determining the reason why some of the facilities are remained under an idle position or non-operating position is a lack of materials, if no materials are remained unprocessed, a plurality of fourth output means for outputting results of the fourth computerized means, in addition to all the ingredients of the system for providing information regarding production progress of a mass production line of the third embodiment of this invention.
In the foregoing second phase of the fourth embodiment, the resultant information can be shown in a graph and the fourth output means can be display means.
To achieve the foregoing sole object, a system for providing information regarding production progress of a mass production line in accordance with a first phase of a fifth embodiment of this invention comprises a fifth computerized means for finding whether or not a sum of the received quantity of materials and the quantity of materials remained unprocessed is in excess of a maximum allowable quantity of materials remained unprocessed for a production stage of a mass production line for production of a production lot and a means for informing results of the fifth computerized means, in an occasion that the sum of the received quantity of materials and the quantity of materials remained unprocessed is found to be in excess of the maximum allowable quantity of materials remained unprocessed for an arbitrary production stage of a mass production line for production of a production lot, in addition to all the ingredients of the system for providing information regarding production progress of a mass production line of the first embodiment of this invention.
In the foregoing first phase of the fifth embodiment, the resultant information can be shown in a graph and the means for informing the results can be display means.
To achieve the foregoing sole object, a system for providing information regarding production progress of a mass production line in accordance with a second phase of a fifth embodiment of this invention comprises a fifth computerized means for finding whether or not a sum of the received quantity of materials and the quantity of materials remained unprocessed is in excess of a maximum allowable quantity of materials remained unprocessed for a production stage of a mass production line for production of a production lot and a means for informing results of the fifth computerized means, in an occasion that the sum of the received quantity of materials and the quantity of materials remained unprocessed is found to be in excess of a maximum allowable quantity of materials remained unprocessed for an arbitrary production stage of a mass production line for production of a production lot, in addition to all the ingredients of the system for providing information regarding production progress of a mass production line of the second embodiment of this invention.
In the foregoing second phase of the fifth embodiment, the resultant information can be shown in a graph and the means for informing the results can be display means.
To achieve the foregoing sole object, a system for providing information regarding production progress of a mass production line in accordance with a third phase of a fifth embodiment of this invention comprises a fifth computerized means for finding whether or not a sum of the received quantity of materials and the quantity of materials remained unprocessed is in excess of a maximum allowable quantity of materials remained unprocessed for a production stage of a mass production line for production of a production lot and a means for informing results of the fifth computerized means, m an occasion that the sum of the received quantity of materials and the quantity of materials remained unprocessed is found to be in excess of a maximum allowable quantity of materials remained unprocessed for an arbitrary system for providing information regarding production progress of a mass production line, in addition to all the ingredients of the third embodiment of this invention.
In the foregoing third phase of the fifth embodiment, the resultant information can be shown in a graph and the means for informing the results can be display means.
To achieve the foregoing sole object, a system for providing information regarding production progress of a mass production line in accordance with a fourth phase of a fifth embodiment of this invention comprises a fifth computerized means for finding whether or not a sum of the received quantity of materials and the quantity of materials remained unprocessed is in excess of a maximum allowable quantity of materials remained unprocessed for a production stage of a mass production line for production of a production lot and a means for informing results of the fifth computerized means, in an occasion that the sum of the received quantity of materials and the quantity of materials remained unprocessed is found to be in excess of a maximum allowable quantity of materials remained unprocessed for an arbitrary system for providing information regarding production progress of a mass production line, in addition to all the ingredients of the fourth embodiment of this invention.
In the foregoing fourth phase of the fifth embodiment, the resultant information can be shown in a graph and the means for informing the results can be display means.